The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-21

ciIOft ne maze 10 open IL on any oi the
residence streets Of your growing city
and the fact that it is a nuisance will
be promptly voiced by the protest OF
that whole community, and If the pro-
test be not respected and, it is allowed
To gain foot-hold then the decay OF
responsibility, peace, and values, in
that ucighborhood will bear mournful
testimony not only that it is most DIS
graceful but deadly one.
When in tho history OF the world qua
the destruction OF an evil OF pubic
nuisance overturn Il government or
destroy political liberty ?
Liberty is not license.
An hundred acts, occupations, ana
trades, that 1t may suit some man IN
the community to carry on for his own
pleasure or profit are condemned now,
aud have been condemned for ages by
the English speaking people, and aba
ted and destroyed as nuisances, ana yet
that people have not yet become ell
shaved bat have steadily and grandly adj
vanced in every element OF free gov
eminent until they have reached con-
dition of social and political eminence
unknown TO any other people OF any
time.
This has not been accomplished by
endorsing, but rather by supporting
these evils No dolbt their suppress
siou in every instance deprives some
pcrson of the liberty to follow his own
incliuations. The suppression of most
of them involves fully as much of des-
truction of personal liberty as the des-
truetion OF the LIQUOR traffic will. and
vet who would relnstate the evil L. y for
the sake of liberty The ] e.. in p
cludes such acts as
Keeping gaming houses; keeping dis
orderly houses; fast driving on public
streets:
Publishing obscene newspapers
aud pictures; keeping tipping houses
where people are allowed to congre-
gate. drink, and remain, acting in dis
orderly manner; being common
scOld; housekeeping, and such like
We have upon our statute books in
Texas, laws fcrbdding, as crimes, and
Furnishing many acts as obnoxious to the
charge of being invasions of personal lib
erty, and certainly as little hurtful with
in themselves, as the occupation OF SELL
ing intoxicating liquors, such as:
Fighting duel with deadly weapons
Unlawful practice of medicine.
Drunkenness in office.
Drunkenness in public place.
Working on Sunday.
Keeping disorderly house.
Dealing in lotteries.
Railing.
Gaming.
Betting on elections.
Unlawfully selling intoxicating Ii
guora-
Being vagrant.
Selling unwholesomc food, drink or
medicine.
Mnny of these. and others of like
character, were offenses, and punished
as such by the common law.
Is not the right of gentlemen to fight
duel or to fight each other in street,
on TO win each others money at a game,
or to bet on an election, or to spend their
money for a lottery ticket, or to rattle
for watch, or to practice medicine, as
good as it is to sell whisky ?
Has not any man as much
right to do nothing ana be va
grant as he has to sell whisky? Is he
MOI likely TO do as little harm to the
scomnunity following or doing any Of
these prohibited things as by selling
whisky Are not these laws as much
sunlptuaIy as one forbidding the sale OF
Intoxicating beverages? What lover OF
liberty would have them repealed?
Il is claimed that the liquor traffic
should be regulated, not prohibited.
But why should it be tolerated at allp
Is it not, like arson, theft and murder,
an unmitigated evil? AS well talk
about regulating instead of prohibiting
the one as the other. IL il was practical
BILE 10 make a law that would prevent the
commission Of theft and murder instead
of furnishing the offender after COM
mission, would not laws for their pre-
vention be passed.
The history of all the past shows that
there is no middle ground for dealing
with the liquor traffic. 1t must be
stamped out of existence or left to work
its own pleasure. 1t is the most AFRO.
CART. the moe. assuming, and the most
iawless power in all the land.
1t is loyal follower of no
party, and vet IL demands
of all parties to do its bidding. 1t favors
no Legislation save such as Is in its own
interests, and seeks by all,means to defy
and nullify all laws that are distasteful
10 il. II is such known enemy to free
government and to fair ballot, that
the law requires ii only Of all occupa-
tons to be desisted from on election
days, and yet by the influence of its fol-
lowers IL assumes to control every cleo
ton. The law condemns and puts on il
the stigma of disgrace by putting on il
an onerous and discriminating tax.
1t defies the law by evading the tax.
With brazen effronterv IL lIlants itself